1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device for the transport of flat substrates in office machines, in particular for records in record-processing apparatus, where the flat substrate for in each case, can be inserted into position, while the processing means, in particular print and/or read means, are moved into positions outside of the track path of the substrate and where a pull-in shaft or feed throat includes guide means, which form in transport direction one or several successively disposed crosswise running recess openings for the processing means, movable crosswise to the transport direction.
2. Brief Description of the Background of the Invention Including Prior Art
Such devices serve the purpose to insert record-carrier materials such as, for example, records, checks, forms, and the like, in a flat shape and without bulgings at the corners, into an office machine, for example, into a, record-processing apparatus or into a printer, and to bring them into a write or read position.
It is known to form a pull-in shaft or feed throat from one lower support plane at a lower part of an apparatus and from lower transport rollers, protruding through openings, and one counter roller, disposed respectively above the driven transport rollers, where a guide rail is additionally disposed opposite to the support plane, which guide rail limits the thickness of the thickest printing material and thus the height of the pull-in shaft or feed throat and which guide rail itself is not adjustable. In contrast, the upper counter roller is springingly adjustable and adjusts itself to the thickness of the flat substrate. Such substrates include paper, foils, bank books, flat carton, checks, forms, business forms, shipping papers, accounting sheets, and the like. The lower transport rollers are driven. The upper counter rollers can be driven and are, in most cases, of a smaller diameter than the lower transport rollers.
Special processing means are provided in such transport devices, which processing means can be moved crosswise to the transport direction of the substrate and which interrupt necessarily the course of the pull-in shaft or feed throat. For example, in a record-processing apparatus, the pull-in shaft or feed throat is interrupted in transport direction behind the first pair counter roller/transport roller by a crosswise running recess opening for a print head, where a print counter-support surface is disposed along the motion path track of the print head. A recess opening for a read head is provided in the same record-processing apparatus, disposed behind the motion path of the print head, as seen in the transport direction, and behind a further pair of counter roller/transport roller. This read head is also moved on a slider crosswise to the transport direction of the substrate. Opposite to the read head, only the above-recited support surface plane in the lower part of the apparatus is not interrupted within such a recess opening, which can occur in the lower part of the apparatus and/or in the upper part of the apparatus. However, the upper part of the apparatus, where the guide for the slider for the read head has to be disposed, has to be interrupted.
These recess openings of all kinds, as well as the processing means, including print head, print-head guide, read head, read-head guide, and the like, interfere in principle with the free transport of the substrate. In the case that the substrate now further exhibits deformations such as damages at the edges, dog's ears, and the like, then the transport of the substrate for surface structure is substantially endangered, if possible at all. In case of such interferences, there results an erroneous guiding of one or several substrates, for example, in case of small records, or a stoppage of deformed paper pieces, depending on the kind of processing.